Garmin Nuvi 2595LMT 5" Sat Nav with Europe Maps, Lifetime Map Updates and Traffic Alerts, and Bluetooth

I have upgraded from several Nuvis, including the Nuvi which is replaced by this one, the Nuvi 2460LT, and I am much happier with this latest Nuvi. And here's why:

Near instant re-routing when a wrong turn is taken - I have owned 4 other Nuvi's in my time, and I have never seen such fast re-routing, if I should take a wrong turn or attempt to vary my route when driving. Within two seconds this 2595LMT will recalculate a new route. This is most impressive, and shows that the processor in this and/or its coding is far superior to that used in previous models.

Lifetime Map updates - I am very happy with the way maps are updated on my Windows 7. My ISP does not use any form of "bandwidth shaping" or "protocol management" and so I am able to download and install entire maps from Garmin's servers in well under an hour. Others may not be aware that their ISP is to blame for any slowness in updating maps, and if so, I would strongly advise that you change your ISP to one that provides a 'clean connection' for your money, and you too will have no lengthy delays in updating maps from Garmin's servers. Any ISP that promises that they manage bandwidth for the majority of their users should be avoided as that simply means that they have under-invested in network capacity and must make up for such by slowing down how their customers use the internet!

Does this Garmin bring me down dodgy laneways etc.? No! I am in central London and so far, I have been pleased enough with its routing. Of course, it is no match for personal knowledge of short-cuts. But that would, I would argue, be expecting too much in a city of the size of London - never mind the fact that full European mapping is included. For this is a machine and must be given credit for bringing me on a relatively straightforward routing whenever I've called upon it to take me across London.

The Lifetime map upgrades are supported by advertising - is it intrusive? Not at all. And I absolutely abhor ads with a passion (when I was younger I tried to get into advertising, but apparently I was... 'not wanted', and so I've hated everything that advertising stands for with a passion ever since!). Trust me I really do hate ads, but the occasional ads which appear are tiny and barely noticeable, nor any distraction whatsoever. So full marks to Garmin for being sensitive as to drivers' needs when it came to how they would subsidise lifetime map updates. So far so good.

Does the Voice Control work well? Yes, I have had no difficulties using it. Although it is slightly different to the way it worked in the former Nuvi (which I had to return because it switched itself off occasionally when Voice was used). Before you had to speak the Town, then the street, then the house number, and then it would present a list of options which you could call out. In this latest Nuvi, you speak your destination all in one go and it would then attempt to calculate what you meant. More often than not, what I said would appear within the first four options which it returned as possibilities, and so I have been pretty happy so far with how it has worked. I will certainly use voice more and more for safety reasons in particular, as it is a very good reason to upgrade from another sat-nav - provided that you speak reasonably clearly. I would imagine that it would perform less well with muffled voices and strong accents.

I have had no problems with its mounting nor any aspect of this unit's performance. Nonetheless, thank you for your interest in my review, and I will be very happy, for the timebeing, to answer anyone's queries in the comments section below. Meanwhile, I would highly recommend this Nuvi over the four previous Nuvi's and one Tom Tom I've used.

Bought this as my old Tom Tom was very bulky and outdated. After reading reviews of Garmin generally decided to go with them rather than Tom Tom who charge for absolutely everything (map updates, traffic etc). The fact that map updates and traffic are included for the life of the unit persuaded me to buy this one. I had reason recently to undertake a trip from Northumberland to Beds, Bucks and Oxfordshire. The unit worked brilliantly including a traffic detour which saved me 30 minutes. It found and accurately directed me to the hotels that I stayed in. The voice command works perfectly and saves fiddling with the touch screen. I think some of the reviewers are being very picky, my understanding is that a human brain has the ability to ignore spurious directions and speed limits. This is a tool to help with driving directions not to replace common sense. You should have seen some of the routes my old Tom Tom tried to take me.
Overall a good product, speedily delivered by Amazon's partner and I would recommend it to anyone

Garmin nüvi 2595LMT 5 inch Screen Sat Nav with European Mapping, Lifetime Map Updates and Traffic Alerts and Bluetooth
The Nuvi arrived on time. I had deliberated for a long time about replacing my old TomTom ONE which has been a good device, not without software and firmware problems over the years, but always fixed without the need to send it back. I have had various Sat Navs for many years, including a very early Garmin with 64 MB of memory!

Pros and Cons for the Nuvi vs. buying a new TomTom? now I have used the new NUVI for a couple of long trips and planned several multi-country trips for the near future. There are some of each, but the postivers outweigh the negatives

First of all: It worked first time after charging for six hours. The owners manual (online only 88 pages) and the quick start leaflet included in the box only mention using the car lead, but the USB will do it, as will a mains charger with a usb socket, provided you check that it is the right voltage. Once charged, connect to the Garmin website, registered, and set about updating the map set for all of Europe, speed cameras etc. Be Patient! the Garmin website does not autoload on connection like TomTom Home, and there are a couple of downloaders to be installed. Once done, using FireFox on Windows XP SP3, with Micctosoft.Net, the download only took 40 minutes, whole process took about an hour.

This is where I found my first "cons". The Owners manual and some instructions online are not crystal clear, or are downright confusing to a new visitor to Garmin websties, after the ease of TomTom home. I have used the email support system twice, to confirm that the French "danger areas" were included, and to find out if Cyclops updates were included. the answers were prompt, accurate and relevant. My reading of the product info indicated it might be on the LMT, but that is not the case, updates are by an additonal subscription. Also I was hoping to use the "live services" as the product info said smartphones enabled this process. Not true. Only Android phones do this, not my iPhone! Although it does twin on Blutooth, I don't us that feature, as my car twins with the iphone for hands free use, including music. OK, I have now subscribed to camera updates, which I would have done with TomTom, but took the edge off the anticipation of a new improved device. I would also like to change the speed camera alert sounds, but cannot find out how that can be done.

On the positive side, my early use has convinced me I made the right choice, once I started to discover and use the many features that are included in the package, including Traffic info and map updates. I have not had the software or reliability problems that some other reviewers report. The traffic info is supplied by routemaster, on a TMC system, which will be around as long as FM radio keeps going. Setting up the device to do automatic detours/re-routes takes a bit of searching on the device, but worked well on two trips from Cornwall to Tyneside. The Cyclops safety alerts worked well, with fewer erroneous reports than on my old TomTom (Belt and braces I used both as a test). Accuracy was slightly better on the Nuvi on the roads, but it does not seem to have the same level of detail as Tom Tom for Services Carparks, or any car parks in general. I have never been sure that mapshare and shared camera reports have been too valuable on TomTom.

One outstanding NUVI feature was the intersection info and the excellent way it was presented.

Also, for me the itinerary planning on the Nuvi is superb, and it works, mostly. For some reason won't let me cross the channel using Plymouth Roscoff route, even though it appears in map view, and sends me through the channel Tunnel to reach Brittany, when I live within 45 minutes of Plymouth - I may have to get on to the support team again!

I am still discovering features I didnt expect (owners manual not covering all of them again), many of which are going to be useful, such as translator, detailed trip meter, and Eco Routing. As I said, I am no sure I have made the right decision, especially as new TomToms will not work with TomTom Home, and its replacement "My TomTom", is in my opinion shoddy, and unsupported by TT support! Also as TomTom re-structure their company (laid off hundreds this year) their stated intention is to concentrate on the fixed in car satnav market, and move away from portable devices, so the once excellent support (which has already deteriorated) will probably fade. So I look forward to a long relationship with the NUVI, and as I am getting older, it will, I am told, take me back to my car when I have forgotten where I left it. which for me is a reassuring feature.